Gamertell

Title: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Price: $39.99
System(s): PSP
Release Date: 3/25/08
Publisher (Developer): Square Enix (Square Enix)
ESRB Rating: “T” for blood, mild language, mild suggestive themes and violence
Pros: Interesting storyline, gorgeous graphics, great FMVs, lots of character cameos, bonus missions for fun and profit, lots of spiffy summons, smooth battle commands and short loading times.
Cons: For the first 2-3 hrs the path is too straightforward and the fixed camera in battle can screw you up.
Overall Score: 9/10

Many people are of the mind that a classic video game shouldn’t have spin-offs which tarnish the memory of the original. These people might avoid Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII for fear that it can not compete with the original. The thing is, Crisis Core can stand on its own as an individual. It certainly helps if you played and loved the original Final Fantasy VII, but it isn’t necessary to enjoy this incredible PSP game.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is the best game for the PSP released this year in North America. It has more staying power and potential than God of War: Chains of Olympus, doesn’t get repetitive like Patapon and is actually available now, unlike the delayed Destroy All Humans! Big Willy Unleashed. It is a spin-off, but it is probably the most competent video game spin-off I have ever played.

The story begins before all the events in Final Fantasy VII. The ShinRa company is still at war with Wutai. A SOLDIER 1st Class named Genesis and his troops are missing in action on a mission in Wutai. SOLDIER 2nd Class Zack Fair and his mentor SOLDIER 1st Class Angeal Hewley are sent to find out what happened to Genesis and carry out the mission.

Of course things aren’t so simple as the possibility that Genesis was killed in action by Wutai troops. Upon arrival, Genesis is nowhere to be found. Angeal sends Zack to get the SOLDIER Director Lazard to safety, and when Zack returns to offer backup for Angeal, he finds his mentor is gone. Zack, with the assistance of Sephiroth, decides to find a way to get Angeal and Genesis to return before ShinRa eliminates them, all while still remaining loyal to the company.

Gameplay – 9.5/10

Square Enix had a bit of a challenge ahead of them in making Crisis Core. Players would have to care about a story even though they already knew how it would end. It also provided a chance to tie in Dirge of Cerberus in and make the story told in that spin-off important as well. The characters in Crisis Core make this possible.

The manner in which Zack, Sephiroth, Angeal and other ShinRa members are presented make you care about them. Initially Zack comes off as, well - to quote Angeal, a puppy. He’s somewhat hyperactive, loud, overly optimistic and completely trusting. He’s the kind of person you’d roll your eyes at and placate if he were real. However he grows, and develops into a stronger and more likable character as the story plods on.

I also found myself truly liking and feeling sorry for Sephiroth. After seeing the events in Crisis Core, I can’t help thinking of him as a tragic hero who just snapped.

The only thing that did irritate me early on was the fact that the game practically holds your hand for about the first three hours. You don’t really get the opportunity to explore Zack’s environment and few extra missions are available. Luckily, this changes and the freedom to explore areas of Midgar and take on extra missions are made available.

Design – 9/10

The battle camera is like a giant bomb (like a bomb found in FF games) sitting on your back. Battle itself is so fast that a player can quickly find Zack trapped behind an opponent or part of the landscape, blocked from view. Since the camera is fixed, there is nothing you can do except pray the enemy doesn’t know “Stop” magic and run for freedom. That being said, I can’t honestly think of a way Square Enix could have fixed it. All other controls are completely set to make battle as simple as possible.

Aside from the camera, battle really is fun. Each of the four action buttons have a different task. The triangle lets Zack dodge (or dash provided you have the right materia equipped), the square lets him guard, the circle is always set for attack, and the x button lets you perform whichever function is highlighted by the L and R buttons. Up to six materia can be equipped for battle and waiting L and R to select them and the items icon is always there as well. Controls are smooth and responsive, and if you play for a while you’ll easily learn how to properly counter, defend and avoid attacks. Plus there is no loading time going into or out of a random battle, which is refreshing.

Crisis Core also looks like a Playstation 2 game. Color schemes for each location are perfectly picked to provide ambiance and the backgrounds have an adequate amount of detail to impress you while running past on missions. The character models are rendered well and everything just looks incredible. The videos littered throughout the storyline are just beautiful. I loved watching them.

Of course Final Fantasy games are also known for their soundtracks. Crisis Core doesn’t disappoint. Many of the tracks are remixes or new renditions of songs from the original FFVII. For example “One Winged Angel” plays during the background a video about five hours in and “Those Who Fight Further” plays during a battle against Bahamut. The new tracks are delightful as well, but I enjoyed the new versions of classic tracks a bit more.

Features – 10/10

The DMW (Digital Mind Wave) limit break system really isn’t as intrusive and annoying as many reviews make it out to be. During battle it spins on its own and provides boosts, limit breaks and summons as long as you have enough SOLDIER points. When the two outermost boxes are the same, battle temporarily halts and the DMW is enlarged. If you get three characters in a row, a limit break is triggered and a boost is provided. If two or more of the characters have the same number next to their picture, then Zack or one of his materia may level up. During “Very Hard” missions, I’d come to rely on the boosts which would temporarily reduce MP cost to 0 or null physical attacks.

The cameos are also a lot of fun. I thought Zack’s first meeting with Yuffie was adorable. Also there’s a great little optional interaction sequence with Hojo, in which Zack “agrees” to become part of his latest combat simulation experiment.

Also I thought the missions were a handy way to level up and acquire items. You can tackle them whenever you are at a save point, and they usually are pretty quick. All missions’ have their difficulty level posted right next to the title, and after leveling up they may decrease in difficulty. I found they worked well for when you have only fifteen minutes or so to play.

A nice little addition is the mail system. Zack is a likable guy, so as he progresses through the game he can end up getting onto email lists or exchange email addresses with people. Then, from time to time, he will receive mails that he can read. You can’t respond to any of them, but most provide helpful or entertaining background information.

Overall – 9/10

Crisis Core is just a great game. Also the nature of combat makes it enjoyable for people who normally don’t care for RPGs because of complicated menus and dealing with excess party members. You can pick it up and play for fifteen minutes, doing one of the mini SOLDIER missions, or you can sit and play for hours going through the main storylines.

Editor’s Note: The overall score is not necessarily an average. Sections might have been weighted to reflect the importance of some features over others.